Oneiric
by perfervid
Summary: Mello has the shock of his life when he is expected to spend time with Near for half a year. During that time-span, he will have to learn how to live with Near as well... Mello/Near. Before the introduction of the Death Note. Rated M just in case.
1. Shock

**Author's Note: **Hey. This is a new fanfic I'm trying out. If you could review and tell me if you liked anything or didn't like anything that'd be great. But please - no flames. And yes this is 100 percent yaoi. ;D Don't act like you hate it. Cause I know you don't. And I've been reading around trying to find Mello/Near fics and I can't seem to find any that capture Mello or Near's characters almost-perfectly! Oh. Rec me some if you can! So I'm just trying to make my own. Feedback would be lovely. :) R&R please. (weird anime googly eyes).

**Disclaimer: **Death Note belongs to writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. Not me. D:

**oneiric **(oh-nai'-rik) _adj_. of or relating to dreams.

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**one.**

I sat behind one of the toy shelves in the common room, pretending I was lazing around, hiding from Roger, doing whatever the fuck I wanted. That's what everyone that passed me thought. The Mighty Mello is practically the king of Wammy's House. No one dared to question my intentions.

No one. Except Near.

That white-haired albino freak that made my blood boil every time he does that weird thing with his hair. Near. That stupid boy two years younger than me that seems to surpass me in everything I do. Near. The person whom I was watching at this very moment.

I was only watching him to find out what the fuck made him so damn smart. Why the fuck I couldn't do as great as he does. Why the fuck I'm second. I know it's not my fault. It's never my fault. I'm Mello. I study hard whenever a test is announced. But nowadays, I find that there is no more bloody point. All because of that boy sitting in the middle of the room, building a fortress of dice around his frail little body. That little body which I could break. Over. And over. And over again.

'Oh Mello. I heard that I would find you here. Don't you have a class on right now?' Near turned around to face the sound of voices. Apparently, he thought he was alone. The old man towered over my body, hands clasped behind his back. His kind smile in total contrast with the tone of his voice.

I blinked. The light from behind him was blinding. I blinked again. An annoyed look crossed my face when he didn't get the hint and I stood up. Brushing off invisible dust from my clothes, I hastily replied. I didn't want Near to know that I was stalking Near. Cause that would just be plain stupid. And that would also mean he'd win again.

'I felt sick today Roger. I needed to relax and I found my room too constricting.' Pfft. The lied rolled off my tongue and I regretted it as soon as I said it. The space in which I was lying was ten times smaller than my bedroom. Knowing Near, he had probably calculated the area of my room minus the area of my stuff lying around and realised that no. I just came here to stalk him. Fuck. No wonder I'm fucking second.

'Really now, Mello?' No. Fuck you. I just told you that for fun. 'Well, never mind all that. I have something to ask of you.' My eyes widened. Another chance to impress Roger. Another chance to impress L. 'Near can you please come here?'

Silently, my arch nemesis shuffled over, socks making no noise. Face as stoic as ever.

'Follow me to my office. The two of you.' Roger lightly said, a hint of a command underlying his words.

I glanced at Near out of the corner of my eye. He showed nothing on his face. No fear. No anxiety. No humanity. We just walked in silence in the corridors of Wammy's House together. Passers-by looked at us, wondering whether I had lost control in a fit of rage again and hit Near or whether I had somehow managed to gain a reaction out of him – one that consisted of annoyance.

I wondered what was going one. Why was Near included in this special secret of mine to impress L? Maybe Roger wants us to work together. At this thought, I laughed mentally to myself, a large grin forming on my face. No fucking way were they stupid enough to make me do that. They knew I was a bomb ready to blow up with Near in the same room as me. How contradictive to what I was doing earlier.

We reached his office.

'Mello, Near,' He addressed us, sounding so serious. I was about to wet myself with excitement. 'The staff of Wammy's House and I' – It's L. Shit. Holy shit. Is he coming back? – 'want you two to co-operate and work together for a' – I didn't listen anymore. My eyes, I bet, were bulging out of my sockets.

Work… with Near? Never in my life have I expected to here those words in the same sentence or phrase. Work with Near. Work with Near. Work with Near?!

'Are you crazy?! Have you finally lost it, old man?!' I was hyperventilating now. No fucking way was I going to work with Near. Have they not read through my records a million times by now?! Have they not written my name down in their 'Book of Troublemakers' more than enough with Near's name in the 'Victims' column?! I seethed and fumed. I wasn't going to listen to his bullshit. I stormed out of the room with cries from Roger following me. No. Fuck Roger. I wasn't going to listen to him.

The first place I went was my room. My room was my comfort. When Matt was out. With him here, all that was comforting was the bleeping noises coming from his PSP. And those weren't really comforting at all. But Matt was someone I could rely on. Someone who I knew was always going to be somewhere in the pages of my life. Sure he can be the biggest dick on earth sometimes, but so can I. And him being a dick compared to me being one was nothing at all.

I plopped onto my bed, knowing that sooner or later Roger was going to come and order me to get my butt back into his office. But right now, he knew I needed time to cool off and calm down. I suppose that was one of the good things about Roger. He understood all the children here after being with us for so long. He knew what our weird habits were and our signs for our random acts.

Thinking of Roger led me to think about Roger's office and the recent event that happened there. Shit. Those three words replayed in my head over and over again. What the fuck. Work with Near?! Maybe this was all a practical joke. Yes... yes... A practical joke involving the whole of Wammy's house. Those children that were staring at us were only playing along so that I would believe the whole thing was happening.

Roger and Near are probably laughing in Roger's office right now, having the time of their lives. Making fun of Mello's stupidity. And here I was, lying in my bed, sounding like a mental lady with a million cats deciphering if she should feed them today or tomorrow.

If I were to open this door now would the whole of the house - excluding Matt because he's probably somewhere in the attic hiding from the world to play his new game of Kingdom Hearts - be there shouting, 'AHAHAHA MELLO. WE CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FELL FOR IT.'? Just to make sure though, I got up from my bed and moved to my door. I looked underneath, through the crack, just to see if there were any feet standing beyond.

Oh. I just heard a pitter patter of running feet. They probably knew I was going to do all of this so now they're lining into position for the 'great awakening'.

I opening the door as widely as I could and screamed, 'PISS OFF!' into the corridor. The corridor with rooms aligning its walls. The corridor with no one in any particular position. The corridor with at least twenty innocent children staring at me as if I was that deranged woman with cats. Oh joy.

I slowly closed my door, smiling kindly to the kids outside. I couldn't let them know that I, Mello the Mighty King of Wammy's, was completely crazy at this point of my 'reign'. I resigned to my bed. Eyes almost drooping to a close. Should I give up?

Knock. Knock knock. There was Roger. I groaned as my peaceful almost-slumber was interrupted. I shouted out allowance for entry and jumped off the top of the double-decker bed. Matt was such a pushover. He let me have the top if I stopped chucking a spasm everytime Near scored higher than me. Which was everytime.

And speak of the devil.

_to be continued._

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**Author's Note:** Ohhhh. Cliffhanger. Reviews will make me smile. :D

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**Preview: **_'I have to what?!' Sharing a room with Near wasn't on my do-to list. I was really sure it wasn't._


	2. Submission

**Author's Note:** It seems that some of you guys like this fic, and for that I am very proud. :D Thank you to those who have either placed me on your alert/favourite list and/or reviewed the story! **Lunarsensitive, SynberiaWinx, ilovecynthia, I Speak Muffin, fouloldron and Liona Rawenchlaw. **Sorry for the oddly long wait, it's really hard to get Near to speak.

**Disclaimer:** Yes. I really do own Death Note.**/**

Onwards!!

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**two.**

'Near…?' The little fluff ball continued to walk, more like glide, into my room. His long, white pants hid his sock-smothered feet making it look as though he wasn't even touching the floor. As usual, he was wearing what was practically his uniform: a collared button up shirt with sleeves too long and unusually baggy pants. Both, of course matched the colour of his hair - white.

I groaned inwardly at his stupid appearance. What is wrong with that little retard? Does he not understand the meaning of 'fashion'?! I swear he suffers from dementia or something. And that stupid voice he speaks in. It sounds like he's droning on like some old college professor that doesn't know how to lecture a class properly. Stupid Near. Stupid Roger. Stupid L. Kay, scrap that last one.

It's not that I really hated Near with all my heart, soul and body and all that other bullshit. It's just that he really. Pisses. Me. Off. And frankly, I don't think working together will make our friendship any better. In fact, I think it'd actually be the downfall of any form of friendship we may already have. Not saying we have any or anything. It's so fucking demeaning. How we have to cooperate in this stupid program and all. Why couldn't that old wrinkly man just choose Linda and Matt.

Ha. I snorted. I bet Matt would kill himself (maybe even Linda) before they'd complete the first week.

'Mello.' He indicated my presence.

…

Silence. Just silence. It was suffocating. I felt as though I had to say something just to stop the freaking awkwardness of the situation surround us all – not that it wasn't already.

Minutes passed.

'What do you want?' I cleared my throat. I had lost to that little battle of 'who could stay silent the longest?'. Everything was a battle between Near and I. Currently, I was losing by a landslide.

'Mello. I think we should consider the possibility of us working together as one. Roger has already outlined to me the details of the so-called project we are being ordered to do. It is under the instruction of L, Mello, that we are to do this project. This is all I have calculated so far.' Droning. On and on and on…

He's got to be kidding me. Is it me, or is he completely oblivious to his surroundings? God, I freaking stomped out of that office screaming like a five-year old and here he is, asking me to participate in what made me do just that in the first place. He's such a buffoon.

'Are you stupid, Near?' Are you so stupid that you haven't even realise that the result of us working together could result with the whole of Wammy's House ending up as a black, charred building with nothing but walls, skeletons and burnt pages left? Insolent fool.

'…Clearly not, Mello. Did you not hear Ms. Barton announce me topping the class once again?'

I clenched my teeth and furrowed my eyebrows. How dare he. I swear to God, the staff here just enjoy my anger tantrums and change the answers around so that Near can win by half a mark just to torment me. And fucking Near. He knew what impact that made on me. He knew damn well.

In a split second, I slammed him against the wall – my hands holding his body up against it.

'Near, you idiot. The only reason you're number one here is because you have a photographic memory. And don't fucking deny it.'

'…'

Silence ensued. Once again.

Can't things just be normal between Near and I for once?

- -

The door was bashed open and a familiar figure jumped in with a mic in his hand.

'ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!! AHAHAHA- Mello. What the fuck are you doing to Near?'

'Matt, get out.' My voice left no room for arguments.

'Not until you put Near down. Dude, you don't want to get suspended do you? Roger has already said that if you bash someone up again, you'd be out for half a year.'

Reluctantly, I released the small body. It crumpled to the floor in a second.

Soon, it proceeded to walk over to sit on Matt's bed while twirling a lock of white hair between his fingers.

'Sorry about that, Near,' Matt was always nice to Near for some odd reason – said something or another about how he didn't do anything to us and how I was just being paranoid. 'Course I would be paranoid, we were in the running for L's title. I remember the time I first let him know about my feelings about Near. He'd told me that he already knew, called my face an open book. Then I vaguely remember punching him in the face, leaving him with a black eye for a week. 'It seems Mello' – at this he looked pointedly at me – 'can't control himself. What is it you want, Near?'

A short period of no speaking followed, the screams of little children only to be heard.

'Matt, I believe Mello should explain this to you beforehand. I will leave you to it, Mello.' With that, he stood up from the bed and sauntered over to the door. Click. The door shut leaving Matt and me in the room alone.

- -

He looked over at me expectantly, waiting for me to start explaining what the hell was happening.

'Argh Matt. You wouldn't believe what happened to me today. I swear, if you were there your eyes would've probably broken the glass on your orange goggles already.' I sighed. I knew and he knew and the little micro-organisms knew that I was just stalling for time to deliver the bad news. 'Roger - he summoned Near and I to his office and in there, explained to us that we would have to work on some project for L together.' I waited for the explosion of ARE YOU SERIOUS?!'s and 'WHAT THE FUCK WAS ROGER THINKING?!'s. Then a made mocking of me.

'…That's it?'

Okay. Maybe it wasn't too horrible, not as horrible as I made it sound anyway.

'Yes Matt. That's it.' I puffed air upwards, blowing my neatly cut fringe by doing so. I just realised how stupid I've been acting. I suppose that's what L meant when he said to me via the computer that I should think before I act.

Oh, joyful day. Near wins again.

'...Right. Mello, can I tell you something?'

'What?' Too freaking annoyed to care.

'You're turning into a drag queen.'

'MATT!!' He dashed out of the room madly, and I followed. 'YOU FREAKING IDIOT. YOU'RE THE FUCKING DRAG QUEEN... YOU … YOU GOGGLE WEARER!!' … Goggle wearer?! That's the best I could come up with? The Mello in me was deteriorating to a practical zero.

We ran around the house erratically until, finally, we collapsed in the common room. The common room. I swear I was going to sweat drop like in those weird mangas anytime soon. I always ended up here.

'Mello.' A stern voice sounded.

And it seems I'm always found here too.

- -

Matt and I stood up quickly, brushing off the dust that stuck to our clothing.

'Matt, go away.' He did. I smirked at his quick submission – partially annoying and amused at the same time. Amused because he had followed my order. Annoyed because it took the presence of Roger for him to do my will. It's said that Matt is the only one that could calm me down, also the only one who sometimes ever defied me.

'Come on then, Mello.' Twice in one day I was called to his office. My name should be in the Guinness Book of World Records or something.

It was freaking déjà vu.

Once again, I was in Roger's office. And this time, I immediately sat down, so as to not faint from any more news that may or may not cause cardiac arrest.

'Mello, it has come to my attention that you have decided to decline the invitation for this project. Am I correct?'

'Yes Roger.' Feeling uncomfortable, I took out my other source of comfort besides Matt and took a bite out of it – the melted brown substance smearing over my clumsy lips.

'I don't think you understand the importance of this project, Mello. This has the potential to boost your chance to become the next L. If you do not take up this offer, I'm afraid your talent may go to waste and you may never achieve the position of L. Do you understand?'

'So you're saying…' I needed time to think, god dammit! 'That if I decide to team up with Near and do this project then I may become L?' My heart thumped wildly, my eyes started to dilate.

'Yes.'

A long sigh from my lips. 'Alright then Roger. I'll do it.'

'Fantastic.' That fake smile. We all knew he despised us all. 'Then I'll have his things transferred to your room right away.'

'I'm sorry wh-'

'Oh Mello, I failed to remember to inform you that you will have to share rooms with Near.'

'I have to what?!' Sharing a room with Near wasn't on my do-to list. I was really sure it wasn't. Near. That sly bastard probably already knew that we'd have to share rooms to complete this project and wanted to pull on my strings. Okay. Maybe I'm starting to hate him a little.

'Or would you like to move to his room? He has no roommate so any changes can be easily made.'

I smiled. The fakest smile I've ever smiled in my entire life. My face was the complete opposite to the raging turmoil happening inside of me. Share rooms with Near?! WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL ME NOW?!

'Sure Roger.' Fake smile. Fake smile. Fake smile.

Lord, if you let me survive through these times ok then I will be eternally grateful to You.

'By the way, this whole project takes up half a year.' Enter the use of the chair.

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**Author's Note:** Yeah.. I changed it to half a year cause I felt that four weeks was too short. Please please please review!! And I will love you forever. Oh and if you find any mistakes, feel free to let me know.

**/-Note: Sarcasm. **(don't get it? read the disclaimer)

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**Preview:** _Oh crap. I still haven't told Matt about the room changes. And he's coming this way..._


End file.
